Engine cylinder block and head assembly



1957 D. c. KINNEY ET AL 2,775,963

ENGINE CYLINDER BLOCK AND HEAD ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 29, 1954 ZZa n e m W W w rd United States Patent Application November 29, 1954, Serial No. 471,692

8 Claims. (Cl. 123-493) This invention relates to a construction for bolting together two component members having fins or air cooling elements disposed normal to the bolt axis, and in particular, as a selected, preferred embodiment of the invention, to a light weight aluminum alloy bolted engine case and head construction'having air cooling fins integrally formed therein.

The usual manner of conjoining two aluminum elements together, as in the case of steel or similar hard materials, is to thread one of the elements, drill the other with an opening sufficient to pass a bolt through, and screw the bolt firmly into the threaded element. This practice has not proven satisfactory with aluminum or its alloys. Once a steel bolt is screwed down into a threaded aluminum bore, the aluminum threads are fairly easily distorted and cracked. In two or three threadings of the steel bolts, the threads are stripped and gone.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a means whereby the aluminum elements are not threaded, and yet bolts are used for conjoining them together, to conjoin the aluminum elements under compressive action of a bolt and nut assembly, and to compress aluminum elements having such thin sections as air cooling fins closely adjacent the compressed sections.

Additional objects of the invention and structural features will become more apparent from the description given below. For a visual understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which like parts are referred to by like reference numerals throughout the several views illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the upper part of an engine case bolt assembled to a cylinder head, embodying the inventive construction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, looking upward in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in the several views of the drawing, the internal combustion engine 10, shown fragmentarily, comprises an engine cylinder housing or case 12, acylinder head 14, and conjoining bolts and nuts, 16 and 18, respectively.

The internal combustion cylinder housing 12 and head 14 are designed to be fabricated of an aluminum alloy, the engine being required to be light in weight, compact in size and economical in cost. The engine housing 12 is arranged with a main body element 20, on the outside of which are integrally arranged air cooling fins 22. The housing body is further arranged with a finished face 24 adapted to receive a gasket 26 and the cylinder head 14 upon the gasket, to close ofi the cylinder end of the housing.

The body 20 is provided with a substantially heavy section 28 closely adjacent the bolt hole 30. On the fins 22 which extend from the section 28 are nut slide 2,775,963 Patented Jan. 1, 1957 ice ridges or ribs 32, which are spaced apart about the nut 18 (see Figs. 2 and 3). On the next succeeding fin 22a and closely adjacent the rear portion of nut 18, are two more nut slide ribs 34, parallel to and opposite the first ribs 32.

The four nut slide ribsprovide a channel down which the.

nut 18 will slide untilit reaches the bolt opening 30.

Bolt shank 36 which projects through the bolt hole 30 is threadedinto nut 18. If long enough, bolt shank 36 may project through nut 18 and into the slot 38 provided be tween slide ribs 34 in fin 22a.

The cylinder head 14 is also arranged with air cooling fins 50 and a bolt head receiving section 52 in its main body element 54. A suitable bolt shank hole 56 is proair cooling fins 22 and 22a. By sliding nut 18 down between the fins and the slide ribs 32 and 34 on those, fins,'the bolt shank can be threaded directly into the nut 18 without the necessity for holding the nut with a spanner wrench or other tool. The slide ribs 32 and 34, extending into the spacing between fins 22 and 22a, simply bear against the nut 18 and resist any turning thereof as the bolt shank 36 draws the nut further upon itself.

This bolt and nut action puts the cylinder head section 52 and the cylinder case section 28 into compression about gasket 26. The difiusion of the compression forces exerted by the bolt and nut assembly is the particularly desirable result which conjoining of the engine elements by the instant structure achieves. The localized stresses, which threading into the aluminum body has heretofore efiected, are completely avoided, permitting frequent unscrewing of the bolt and nut assembly without injury to the engine parts or necessity for their replacement because of ruptured and stripped bolt threads.

Slot 38 is provided to facilitate removal of the nut, or for its specific location in threading the bolt thereinto. A simple tool, such as a screwdriver, or a piece of wire or other simple implement, is inserted into the slot 38 and into the opening of the nut 18 to lift it up or completely out of the spacing between the fins 22 and 22a, and from between the slide ribs 32, 34. Or a pair of long nosed pliers may be inserted between the fins and about the nut edges to adjust it for the bolt shank or to remove it completely.

The nut slide ribs 32 may be the only ribs required in certain applications, without the necessity for the opposite ribs 34, but this will depend in large measure upon the peculiar requirements of the particular application.

The simplicity, effectiveness, economy and improved utility of the instant structure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains. Substantial savings in finished parts together with an extended life for such parts are among the advantages achieved by the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a construction of the class described an engine cylinder housing having relatively thin parallel outwardly projecting spaced apart air cooling fins adjacent a section of substantially greater thickness, a cylinder head for said engine housing conjoined thereto having a body element of substantial thickness, and a bolt and nut assembly conjoining said housing and head, aligned bolt shank openings in said cylinder housing section and cylinder head element adapted to receive said bolt, said fins having nut slide ribs spaced apart from each other about said bolt opening in said cylinder housing section, said ribs projecting into the spacing between said fins and being positioned closely adjacent said nut therebetween and adapted to position said nut relative to said bolt shank opening and to resist turning movement of said nut as it is drawn up on said bolt compressively against said cylinder housing bolt section, as said bolt is rotated to screw same into said nut.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, in which said nut slide ribs are spaced parallel to and across from each other on successive fins.

3. The construction defined in claim 2, in which said nut slide ribs project into the spacing between said fins and toward each other.

4. The construction defined in claim 2, in which one of said fins is provided with a nut removal slot located between a pair of said slide ribs and opposite said bolt opening in said cylinder housing section.

5. In a construction of the class described in which two elements are conjoined by a bolt and nut assembly,

the combination comprising elements having bolt com- 2 pression sections of substantial thickness, one of said elements having relatively thin outwardly projecting parallel spaced apart fin sections adjacent and below said bolt compression section therein, said bolt compression sections having aligned bolt shank openings therethrough adapted to receive said bolt, the first of said fin sections adjacent to and below the bolt compression section of one of said elements having nut slide ribs spaced apart from each other about said bolt opening, said ribs projecting into the spacing between said fin sections and being positioned closely adjacent said nut therebetween and adapted to position said nut relative to said bolt shank opening and to resist turning movement of said nut as it is drawn up on said bolt compressively against said element bolt compression section as said bolt is rotated to screw same into said nut.

6. The construction defined in claim 5, in which said nut slide ribs are spaced parallel to and across from each other on successive fins.

7, The construction defined in claim 6, in which said nut slide ribs project into the spacing between said fins and toward each other.

8. The construction defined in claim 6, in which one of said fins is provided with a nut removal slot located between a pair of said slide ribs and opposite said bolt opening in said element bolt compression section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 240,217 Allen Apr. 19, 1881 345,648 Poindexter July 13, 1886 1,579,098 Fedden Mar. 30, 1926 1,900,654 Mathews Mar. 7, 1933 

